This is a little ACEO (2.5 by 3.5 inches) with a quote by Julia Cameron who wrote "The Artist's Way".   I love the quote but I must admit that I've never read the book.  The idea of "morning pages" just seemed like too much writing.  However, I have often though this very thing, especially when I'm painting with watercolor.  I haven't checked the other illustrations yet and Im wondering if anyone else used this quote.  It just seemed too perfect for this prompt!

Every month the Melange Team on Etsy has a challenge on the team blog.  It is to create a mixed media work with the word of the month.  This month the word is "Beginning".   Very appropriate for January.  I instantly thought of these little girls who are just starting out on a big adventure.  They come from an old Dick and Jane reader (illustrated by Eleanor Campbell and Keith Ward), but they don't stay in their Dick and Jane world.  Nope, suddenly they are in my spacey world of Citra-Solv altered paper. It’s a world full of mystery, danger and beauty.   At the end of the story, they will be the keepers of the world.  It is, of course, our world. 

The Melange Team challenge is open to everyone who wants to enter and the team is home to many talented mixed-media artists, so make sure you click yourself over there!

This illustrates many random thoughts that go through my head that I can't easily put into words. It's an ACEO made with Citra-Solv paper and paint pens and the dictionary definition of "dust".   It's very cold outside today and I was thinking about how cold it is in space, as well as dusty!  We had better look after our planet because as beautiful as space may be, it  is far too cold for us.

I've never had so much fun with scrabble before. 

I was even lucky enough to have the sun shine for a brief moment when my daughter and her lovely neck was at home.

I've been busy making little valentine pendants out of scrabble tiles and hoping to get them into my Etsy shop before Valentine's Day is over!    Making pendants is fun but photographing them is another matter!  It's been overcast on the days I wanted to shoot so I built myself a lightbox out of a cardboard box and curtain sheers.  Building the lightbox,  learning how to actually use my camera properly and then experimenting with different backgrounds took longer to do than actually making the jewelry!  Hopefully now that I have everything set up it won't take me so long to shoot the other pendants. 

This is the first one that I've gotten photographed and into the store.  It comes in it's own hand-painted matchbox.

If you have any tips for photographing jewelry, let me know!

 Here's my submission for the Cloth Paper Scissors "Stencil Garden" challenge.  I debated long and hard about whether I should buy a stencil cutter.  It wasn't too expensive with my 50% off coupon but I already have so much STUFF.  My little work area is overflowing.   However, I can report that it was worth the money.  I cut the stencil's out of mylar and a plastic lid to box pre-washed lettuce.  The lettuce box worked just as well as the mylar.  You see... money saving and recycling possibilities  are turning up already!  I also used watercolor paint which I squeezed into some spray bottles.  That was also new for me and I liked the result.
So I feel like I'm starting the new year off right with two new techniques.

You can see all the Stencil Garden entries here
Feel free to browse and leave comments!
 

You know the feeling you get when you think you've seen something or someone before, but you can't place it, and the answer is somewhere behind the locked door or in your subconscious.  I love the whole mystery of this feeling. Perhaps that person is someone who checked out your groceries two years ago...or perhaps you knew them in another life...and that face in the window...you know it's you because you've seen it before ...but it doesn't look like you.   Interesting concepts.

This is a little ACEO that's going in my Etsy shop.  It's the first creation of the New Year and the the creative machinery was certainly rusty!  I had some fun  using my new free motion sewing machine foot.  I'll definitely be doing more with the sewing machine this year.